How Disney’s Princess Tiana Compares to Cinderella
One of Disney’s most classic tales, that of Princess Cinderella, has a lot in common with the newest of Disney princesses. Princess Tiana from the new film, The Princess and the Frog, takes aspects of the remarkable story of Princess Cinderella and gives it a refreshingly modern twist.
Both stories begin with young working women. Cinderella is overworked, trying to meet the demands of her stepmother, her stepsisters, and the seemingly endless tasks assigned to her. The death of her newlywed father left Cinderella with her new family, and she wants to fulfill her father’s wish to be good to her new family.
Likewise, Princess Tiana is also overworked. The story begins with her working two jobs in 1912 New Orleans. Tiana tries to save up to buy an old sugar mill to create her own restaurant, which was part of her father’s dreams. Both girls enter their stories overworked and faithful to the wishes of her father.
The opportunity for a dance also quickly enters the lives of both girls, just like Prince Charming. Cinderella is captivated by the idea of a ball and immediately starts working on a simple dress to wear. Just before it’s time to leave for the ball, Cinderella’s stepsisters ruin her dress and leave her with more chores than she can handle. A fairy godmother intervenes and, bippity-boppity-boo, allows Cinderella to attend the ball in a beautiful blue dress. The Prince fell in love with Cinderella immediately.
Unlike the prince in the Princess Cinderella story, Prince Naveen did not fall in love with Tiana right away. Tiana had intended to go to the costume party to help work on it, and after messing up a costume, she found herself unable to attend. A friend of hers lent her a tiara and Tiana was able to attend the party dressed as a princess. Mistaking her for a royal princess, Prince Naveen, in frog form, approaches her.
The Disney princess costumes for these two princesses are incredibly similar. It’s almost like Tiana is dressing up as Princess Cinderella at the ball! Both Disney princesses wore a pastel blue dress with a contoured bodice and a long, voluminous skirt. A Disney princess costume for Cinderella could be used as a Princess Tiana costume in the first dance scene. Although the sleeves and accessories of the dresses differ for the Disney princesses, it is notable that both girls meet their Prince Charming and enter the ball scene in a similarly shaped pastel blue dress.
Princess Tiana and Princess Cinderella also had a plethora of animal friends. The animals were attracted to Cinderella’s kind and loving nature and became useful friends for her. The children loved the characters of these animals. Once Tiana becomes a frog, she also befriends animals and other unusual beings. The relationship between humans and animals makes these Disney princesses unique.
Despite the similar story elements and similar Disney Princess costumes, only time will tell if Princess Tiana will make it to the epic spot as a favorite Disney princess like Cinderella. Both stories feature elements that will delight children and foster the value of friendship and a strong work ethic. As the new Disney Princess, I think we all expect Princess Tiana to live up to her predecessor, Princess Cinderella.